


Rock Paper Scissors

by eastaustraliancurrent



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Banter, Bickering, Book References, F/M, M/M, Multi, negotiation, the gang being dumb (as usual)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-10-19 08:29:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20654216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eastaustraliancurrent/pseuds/eastaustraliancurrent
Summary: Based on this text post: https://mikeyhanlon.tumblr.com/post/187615182251/bev-richie-and-eddie-huddling-together-in-a“bev, richie, and eddie huddling together in a corner at the reunion: ok rock paper scissors who gets to fuck ben tonight”





	Rock Paper Scissors

The Losers evacuate the restaurant in a hurry, eager to leave behind the nightmare cookies and the kid Richie just screamed at. Eddie lingers in front of the building and watches them for a moment. They’re all making beelines to their cars, split up into groups of two without any prior arranging as to who would get a ride from whom. 

“Hey.” Eddie startles when Richie’s hand closes around his wrist, still shaken by It’s little demonstration back in the restaurant.

“Jesus, Richie.”

“C’mere, I need to talk to you.”

The pair idle in front of the restaurant, their backs lit by windows. The streetlights surrounding the parking lot paint his friends in an eerie glow that itches some dark memory in the back of Eddie’s mind.

Eddie nervously glances over his shoulder, right hand fisted around the aspirator in his jacket pocket. “What is it, Rich?”

Richie puts his fingers to his tongue and lets out a piercing whistle. 

“Richie!” Eddie exclaims.

The whole of the Losers Club (minus Stan, Eddie amends, then banishes the thought) turns to look, but Richie acts as though only Beverly was supposed to hear it. He gestures wildly at her, intricate hand signals that surely mean nothing, yet Beverly steps back out of Ben’s car and walks over to them, an amused light in her eyes. Bill shakes his head and claps Mike on the back and they laugh as they turn back to the car.

“What is it, Richie?” Beverly is smiling softly at the two of them. Bill and Mike roll out of the parking lot.

“Listen.” Richie grabs them both by the shoulder, pulling them in close as if they were a football team of three, huddling as they discuss a play. “Listen. We’ve got a dilemma here and I think it’s best if we deal with it now before we get back to the Town House.” Richie pops his head above their circle, glances furtively at Ben, then says with a hushed urgency, “I’ve done an assessment of the group and I can see the three of us have very similar interests. I believe it would be best if we duked it out here and settled the dispute like adults. You see, we don’t want any issues that might jeopardize the unity of the group down the line, and—”

“Get to the point, Rich,” Bev interrupts. “I don’t want to keep Ben waiting.”

“Bingo, baby.” Richie taps a finger on her nose.

Eddie’s brow furrows. “I don’t get it.”

Richie rolls his eyes. “Get a load of this guy,” he grimaces to Bev and hitches a thumb at Eddie.

“Fuck you,” Eddie frowns.

“Rich,” Beverly says. “Please elaborate.”

“You know! Ol’ tall dark and handsome! The man, the myth, the legend! He who walks among us mortals!”

Bev and Eddie stare blankly at him. Eddie’s back is starting to ache from the inward-bowed position Richie holds them captive in.

“Ben!” Richie exclaims. “What are we gonna do about Ben!”

“_What_ are we gonna do about me?” Ben calls. He’s leaning against his car about ten yards away from the huddle.

“Never you mind, dear!” Richie waves him off. “The grown-ups are chatting.” He leans back into the circle. “So?”

Beverly nods slowly. “I see.”

Eddie gawks at her. “See?” he cries. “See what? Someone explain to me what is going on!”

Richie squeezes his cheek. “Aww, wook at widdle Eds. Does Eddie Bear need Mama and Papa to explain the birds and the bees to him?”

Eddie slaps his hand away. “Stop calling me—” Realization dawns. “Wait. You mean sex?” he squawks.

“Glad you’re caught up, Eddie. Now,” Richie says. “I _am_ willing to go to blows over this, but then the fight would tip unfairly in my favor, so—” 

“I could wrestle you to a fall any day, Richie,” Bev says. “And you know it.”

“—so,” Richie continues over her, “out of my generosity and love for you two, I’m amenable to other options.”

“You want to fight over Ben?” Eddie hisses. “Over who gets to _sleep with him?_ Are you out of your mind? He’s a full grown man, not some hunk of meat for you to slobber over!” Eddie straightens up to leave but Richie grabs him by the collar and yanks him right back down. “Why am I even in this circle?” Eddie whines.

“I saw you ogling, Eddie, and don’t you deny it,” Richie says. “Now, how should we settle this?” He rubs his hands together.

“Why don’t we just let Ben choose?” Bev suggests brightly.

“No way, toots,” Richie says. “He’d choose you and you know it.”

Bev grins and Eddie looks between the two in dismay. “Bev, don’t encourage him,” he pleads.

“Feel free to leave if you want to, Eddie,” Beverly replies. “Less competition for me.”

“Face it kid,” Richie says. “This may be your only chance before we all kick the bucket.” Richie grabs Eddie by the chin and turns his head so he’s forced to look at Ben. “Do you really want to let _that_ slip through your fingers?”

Ben is still standing against the car, long and lean, pants clinging to his legs _just_ right. The soft chambray shirt works wonders on his toned body under the admittedly sexy jacket he sports. Not to mention the _face._

Ben raises his eyebrows inquisitively at Eddie. Eddie quickly turns back to the huddle. “I barely even like men,” Eddie says, but it’s half-hearted at best.

Richie shakes his head sagely. “That’s what they all say.”

“How about Rock Paper Scissors?” Beverly suggests.

“Now we’re talking!” Richie whoops.

“How would that even work with three people?” Eddie asks.

“Or we could shoot for it?” Bev says.

“Fine by me,” Richie says. “Eds?”

“Fine,” Eddie grumbles. Richie reaches to chuck him under the chin but Eddie jerks his head back, glaring.

Richie grabs Bev’s shoulder and gently shakes it. “Count us in, dah-ling!”

“One, two, three, shoot!”

The three of them thrust their fists into the circle. Eddie and Richie are both holding out one finger and Beverly is holding out two.

“Fuck!” Richie cries.

“Looks like I won!” Bev grins. “See you boys at the Town House.” Ben straightens up to meet her.

“Or not,” Richie mutters.

“What was that about?” they hear Ben ask.

“Don’t worry about it,” Beverly says as she steps neatly into the passenger seat.

Eddie shakes his head in response to Ben’s searching glance.

“Cheer up, Eds!” Richie slings an arm around Eddie’s shoulder. Ben’s car rolls out of the parking lot. “You can’t win ‘em all.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“How are you getting back to the Town House? Need a lift?”

“A ten minute drive, alone, with _you?_” Eddie shakes his head. “I’d rather chew gravel.”

“Now, now, no need to be like that!” Richie ruffles Eddie’s hair. “Your mother would jump at the chance. And she has. Many times. In fact, I remember once, she ever so lovingly reached over and grabbed my gearshift—”

“_Beep beep, Richie!_”

Richie laughs and opens the car door on the passenger side for Eddie with a grand sweeping gesture and a British accent—“After you, good sir.”— and Eddie finds himself stepping in, sitting down, wondering when they had walked to the car. It doesn’t matter, though. He feels a pang of nostalgia and knows that this is how it’s meant to go, just as the others had assembled themselves into their own carpools without a word, just as they had assembled their rag-tag gang when they were only eleven years old. The counter force to It that made them wait for Mike when they were children, that made them step into dangers unfathomable, makes Eddie sit down in Richie’s car and Eddie knows, without comprehending, that he is here because he is meant to be.

“So, Eds,” Richie says as he slides into the driver's seat. “Been having any good chucks?”

And the familiarity pangs so deep in Eddie’s chest, so right, that he smiles wider than he has all night.


End file.
